The English philosopher Roger Bacon’s most important work was Opus Majus. Opus Majus was an encyclopedia that went into extreme detail in various different subjects such as mathematics, natural science, and grammar. Roger Bacon wrote Opus Majus at the demand of Pope Clement IV in the year 1267. Opus Majus was written to correlate with the Catholic church and their beliefs. Roger Bacon opens his work with the topic of Experimental Science. Roger Bacon begins by stating the two ways to acquire knowledge. One way being through reason and the other being through experiment. Roger Bacon throughout his section on Experimental Science explains that one reaches a conclusion by experimenting or learning from someone who is experienced. Roger Bacon’s statement on ways of achieving knowledge is correct. The only way of attaining knowledge is through someone who is experienced or by going through several experiences and experiments on your own. Roger Bacon begins his work by saying “ Even if a man that has never seen fire, proves by good reasoning that fire burns, and devours and destroys things, nevertheless the mind of one hearing his arguments would never be convinced, nor would he avoid fire until he puts his hand or some combustible thing into it in order to prove by experiment what the argument taught. But after the fact of combustion is experienced, the mind is satisfied and lies calm in the certainty of truth. Hence argument is not enough, but experience is” (Bacon). Roger Bacon is giving a real life example of how people learn. The man who has never experienced fire will not be convinced by someone who has experienced fire unless he is shown how destructive that fire is. Roger Bacon is implying that seeing is believing. People will only accept an answer if it has been proven true by experiments and experience. Roger Bacon in Opus Majus shows that this method of gaining knowledge is applicable to every subject, whether it be mathematics, physics or grammar. Roger Bacon’s theory originated from the Greek philosopher Aristotle who stated that the the experienced are those who are able to give knowledge. Roger Bacon elaborated on Aristotle's theory by saying that those who are experienced are the people who experiment. Those who conduct experiments are the ones who gain experience and are certified to teach. Opus Majus shows how people during the 13th century were not very open to new ideas and in order to convince the population of certain theories the people would need a first hand experience in order to believe it. Roger Bacon’s Opus Majus demonstrates how people portrayed the learning in the 13th century. It is hard to portray your ideas to people who refuse to believe you without concrete evidence. Bacon’s work Opus Majus goes into extreme detail in several different areas of learning. The portion on experimental science shows people's willingness to learn and demonstrates how people acquire knowledge. People acquire knowledge through the process of experimentation and contribute knowledge to others. That people will only support your findings if you can replicate for them to experience.
Work Cited
Bacon, Roger, and Robert B. Burke. Opus Majus. New York: Russell and Russell, 1962. Print.
English philosopher Roger Bacon was born in the year 1220. Roger was raised by a very wealthy family in Somerset England, a historic town in southern England. Rogers education began at a very young age. Roger was an accomplished student, he excelled in subjects such as mathematics, music and sciences. Roger went to Oxford University. After Roger finished his education at Oxford he began to host lectures in Paris on the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Roger’s lectures about Aristotle and his teachings is a major key in the spread of Aristotle's knowledge to western Europe. In 1247 Bacon returned to Oxford and met a scholar named Robert Grosseteste. Grosseteste was a major influence in western Europe. Grosseteste’s lectures and presentations brought the teachings of ancient Greece to England. From the Years 1247 to 1257 Roger was heavily concentrated on his studies. At Oxford he was introduced to many new segmentations of learning. Roger was studying optics, alchemy, astronomy and mathematics. In 1257 his research career began to die down and so did his popularity. He claimed that he was “ forgotten by everyone and all but buried”. So Bacon became a friar. Under Pope Clement IV Roger created a trilogy of encyclopedias that has the knowledge of “all the known sciences”. Opus majus, Opus minus and Opus tertium were the encyclopedias that Roger Bacon helped create. Shorty after the creation of the trilogy Roger Bacon was arrested by his friends for “suspected novelties” and was imprisoned for an extensive period of time. Rogers where abouts were unknown after his time in prison. An uncomplete work of his was discovered in 1292. Roger later died the same year in Oxford England of unknown causes
Work Cited
Crowley, Theodore. “Roger Bacon.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/roger-bacon.
Roger Bacon’s statement on ways of achieving knowledge is correct. The only way of attaining knowledge is through someone who is experienced or by going through several experiences and experiments on your own. Roger Bacon begins his work by saying “ Even if a man that has never seen fire, proves by good reasoning that fire burns, and devours and destroys things, nevertheless the mind of one hearing his arguments would never be convinced, nor would he avoid fire until he puts his hand or some combustible thing into it in order to prove by experiment what the argument taught. But after the fact of combustion is experienced, the mind is satisfied and lies calm in the certainty of truth. Hence argument is not enough, but experience is” (Bacon). Roger Bacon is giving a real life example of how people learn. The man who has never experienced fire will not be convinced by someone who has experienced fire unless he is shown how destructive that fire is. Roger Bacon is implying that seeing is believing. People will only accept an answer if it has been proven true by experiments and experience. Roger Bacon in Opus Majus shows that this method of gaining knowledge is applicable to every subject, whether it be mathematics, physics or grammar. Roger Bacon’s theory originated from the Greek philosopher Aristotle who stated that the the experienced are those who are able to give knowledge. Roger Bacon elaborated on Aristotle's theory by saying that those who are experienced are the people who experiment. Those who conduct experiments are the ones who gain experience and are certified to teach. Opus Majus shows how people during the 13th century were not very open to new ideas and in order to convince the population of certain theories the people would need a first hand experience in order to believe it.
Roger Bacon’s Opus Majus demonstrates how people portrayed the learning in the 13th century. It is hard to portray your ideas to people who refuse to believe you without concrete evidence. Bacon’s work Opus Majus goes into extreme detail in several different areas of learning. The portion on experimental science shows people's willingness to learn and demonstrates how people acquire knowledge. People acquire knowledge through the process of experimentation and contribute knowledge to others. That people will only support your findings if you can replicate for them to experience.
Work Cited
Bacon, Roger, and Robert B. Burke. Opus Majus. New York: Russell and Russell, 1962. Print.
English philosopher Roger Bacon was born in the year 1220. Roger was raised by a very wealthy family in Somerset England, a historic town in southern England. Rogers education began at a very young age. Roger was an accomplished student, he excelled in subjects such as mathematics, music and sciences. Roger went to Oxford University. After Roger finished his education at Oxford he began to host lectures in Paris on the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Roger’s lectures about Aristotle and his teachings is a major key in the spread of Aristotle's knowledge to western Europe. In 1247 Bacon returned to Oxford and met a scholar named Robert Grosseteste. Grosseteste was a major influence in western Europe. Grosseteste’s lectures and presentations brought the teachings of ancient Greece to England. From the Years 1247 to 1257 Roger was heavily concentrated on his studies. At Oxford he was introduced to many new segmentations of learning. Roger was studying optics, alchemy, astronomy and mathematics. In 1257 his research career began to die down and so did his popularity. He claimed that he was “ forgotten by everyone and all but buried”. So Bacon became a friar. Under Pope Clement IV Roger created a trilogy of encyclopedias that has the knowledge of “all the known sciences”. Opus majus, Opus minus and Opus tertium were the encyclopedias that Roger Bacon helped create. Shorty after the creation of the trilogy Roger Bacon was arrested by his friends for “suspected novelties” and was imprisoned for an extensive period of time. Rogers where abouts were unknown after his time in prison. An uncomplete work of his was discovered in 1292. Roger later died the same year in Oxford England of unknown causes
Work Cited
Crowley, Theodore. “Roger Bacon.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/roger-bacon.
Prepared by Eric Beacco